Soft skills are a combination of personality traits, habits, attitudes, and interpersonal skills that people use to work well with others, perform tasks, and navigate their environment. Employers value soft skills because it is important for employees to meaningfully interact and engage with people, tasks, and processes in their work environment.
| Prepare
Prior to beginning work on this discussion,
- Read Chapter 13: Career Planning and Professional Development, with a focus on Section 13.2 Professional Skill Building.
- Read Top 11 Skills Employers Look for in Job Candidates.
- Watch Top 5 Soft Skills for the Workplace.
- Explore Career Resources at the University of Arizona Global Campus.
- Career Resources is available in the Student Support Center through the left navigation menu.
- Consider the following sections located in the General Resources tab of Career Resources at the University of Arizona Global Campus website:
- Self-Assessment, Career Exploration & Planning
- Job Search, Networking, & Interview Preparation
- Military Self-Directed Search
- Candid Career Videos
| Reflect
This discussion is a great opportunity to think about career readiness factors. You will explore how you can apply specific soft skills and find resources in the Career Services site that can help you attain your goals.
| Write
In your initial discussion forum post (of a minimum of 250 words),
- Choose four soft skills from the Top 11 Skills Employers Look for in Candidates that will be important to your professional success. Prioritize them, starting with the most important skill.
- Describe how each skill can support you in your profession.
- For example, you can say, “As a business owner, effective communication will be important because my success will depend on …” or “As an early childhood educator, open-mindedness will be important because …”
- Identify two resources from the Career Services site that will support you as you pursue your career goals.
- Identify a leader in your life who demonstrates the four soft skills you chose.
- If you like, you can participate in the My Top Four Soft Skills poll.
- Select here.
- Type your school email.
- Select your one top soft skill.
- Select See previous responses to see how your selection compares with other GEN101 students. You can only vote once with your school email.
| Guided Response
Review your classmates’ posts and respond to at least two of your peers by Day 7. Try to choose two classmates you have not responded to before. Each peer response should be a minimum of 100 words.
In your peer responses,
- Explain how one of the soft skills your classmate identified for career success is also important for academic success.
- Reflect on the life lesson your classmate described and how you could apply that life lesson to your academic success at UAGC.
An important part of your learning involves the exchange of ideas and feedback with your peers and instructor. They are also tied to the participation and critical thinking components of your earned discussion grade.